Judge Pramod Kode said he was giving time to both sides so that they could place their submissions under the Probation of Offenders Act and the arguments on the quantum of sentence.

When Dutt appeared for bail Nov 28, it was extended until Dec 19. That day, it was further extended until Thursday.

Judge Kode is presently hearing arguments on quantum of sentence to 92 others convicted in the 1993 bombings that killed 257 people in Mumbai on a single day in March. It was the world’s worst urban terror attack until then.

Objecting to the defence plea for extension of bail, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said: “We are objecting on the ground that the provision for the Probation of Offenders Act cannot be moved at this stage. There is no alternative to conviction. ”